As he angles to secure his old job back at Number 10, Boris Johnson rushed back to London from his Caribbean holiday, opting to fly in economy class on British Airways even though business class seats were available.
Boris Johnson Returns From Caribbean To London in British Airways Economy Class
British Airways flies from Punta Cana (PUJ) to London Gatwick (LGW) via Antigua (ANU) on BA2156. Johnson, the former UK Prime Minister who lost his party leadership position after being embroiled in a number of scandals, was on holiday with his wife and (some of his) children in the Dominican Republic.
But after the unexpected fall of Lizz Truss, who announced her resignation as Prime Minister after only 44 days on the job, Johnson sees a path toward returning to 10 Downing Street.
As the leadership race heats up to head the Conservative party, Johnson ended his holiday in Punta Cana and flew back to London.
The return from Elba.
Boris Johnson is on BA 2156 from Punta Cana to London-Gatwick via Antigua. https://t.co/ULAEwPVHVg
— Dennis Lennox (@dennislennox) October 21, 2022
As you can see from the photograph, he is in economy class onboard the Boeing 777 jet.
Why economy class? Business class and premium economy class were available on the flight, but he chose to remain in economy class.
- Could it be business class was too expensive?
- Was it for the sake of the other passengers in case his children were too loud?
- Perhaps to show himself as the “common” man in order to appeal to more Conservative lawmakers (he needs 1oo votes amongst his peers in order to be considered for PM again)
SkyNews reported that Johnson boarded the aircraft first. When some people noticed he was onboard, they booed him, while others cheered him. Mark Stone added:
“He’s in a suit, his head forward, deep in thought, but moments before that one of his children was climbing on top of him – a family coming back from their holidays.”
Stone reasoned that Johnson staged his trip in economy class, knowing he would be under close observation:
“Business and premium were not full, and he’d have known he’d be snapped. Fellow economy passengers were positioning themselves for selfies. It’s a reminder that – love him or loathe him – Mr Johnson has star quality. He has a reach that’s beyond most MPs. He’s the Heineken of politicians.”
The next several days will be momentous in British politics.
RyanAir, by the way, made clear it did not transport Johnson:
Let us be clear: we’re NOT helping Boris get home today pic.twitter.com/27mDpbS0nq
— Ryanair (@Ryanair) October 21, 2022
CONCLUSION
Boris Johnson has returned from the Caribbean in British Airways economy class and will now test the waters for returning as Prime Minister. A reporter traveling with Johnson notes that the open seats in premium economy and business class suggest Johnson’s very deliberate move to remain in economy class was likely politically calculated.
(H/T: View From The Wing)
The picture shows Johnson sitting in premium economy, not economy.
I might be going insane because this is the second time I’ve seen someone comment this today, but that’s surely British Airways’ 3-4-3 economy?
Indeed, it is economy class – you can tell based upon the tray table (it in in the arm rest in WT+)
On Sky News a journalist who was on the flight said that Johnson was travelling in Economy, in around row 35.
Staged, for sure.
Leave the guy alone. If he is paying for his trip who cares? Let him fly on cargo or first class as long as he is paying for it.
Staged, or not?
Love him or loathe him…….who cares…….all politicians play games and try to work the media machine for their publicity, image and self promotion.
Had a chuckle at the Ryanscare post…….typical of them seizing the opportunity. Nice one!
The guy has 7 kids and 2 ex-wives to keep afloat and was only on £165,000 per year as PM, he probably can’t afford it ….
He has just bought a house in a cheap and dodgy part of South London!
“Was it for the sake of the other passengers in case his children were too loud?”
This theory cracks me up, because it’s like, “No, people in premium classes should not be disturbed because they’re better than the people in economy. Screw those swarthy pigs.” 🙂
He couldn’t find a wealthy Tory donor to fork out for business class and on Bunter’s measly £160 000 a year plus extras, he couldn’t afford anything else but economy and BA are tight with upgrades.
With all due respect, if this was a liberal politician, you’d be shredding him for a craven effort to secure votes..
And he’s out. He made it almost 24 whole hours until he realized that even his own party hates him.